“I think she deserved worse. Much worse.” Darren growled as he sat his pen down.“I’m not saying she didn’t, but I felt this was a fitting punishment. Plus, it also offered an innocent man his freedom. What they decide to do from here on out is up to them. But Cleo will most likely be pregnant now. She will no longer be able to be a Waiting Lady and will be forced to leave. She will have no choice but to either live with her mate or go back to her family. And if her family is anything like her, they will not welcome her with open arms.” I had thought about it a lot, and I decided I would give her the choice. She can now choose to be happy with her mate and embrace her new life, or she can live a miserable life. In either case, it got her out of the castle, and that was all I really cared about.“It’s clever.” Ivan leaned on Darren’s desk. “This way there isn’t any trouble with the nobles, but it also solves a problem. Honestly, I am very impressed. Well done.”“Thank you!” Yes, I was
It took two weeks for all the species representatives to arrive. Two anxious weeks while the neutral village of Lyionette remained under the vampires’ control. I knew Darren didn’t like waiting to act, but at the same time, this was bigger than one village. What was being formed right now was a unity for the future.Ivan had gone to get the last representative. I didn’t know we were missing anyone, but he said this person was very important.I glanced over at Lyle as he walked me down the hall. “Should I really be attending this meeting? I feel like I’m not the crowned queen yet, so it might not be appropriate.” I listened as Lyle laughed.“Two things, ‘princess’,” he said, winking at me. “One, you’re the king’s marked mate, and we’re just waiting for the formalities to make you the official queen. And two, Darren wants you there ... he needs you there. I think you’re one of the most important people to be there, to make sure Darren doesn’t lose his temper and cause a war among all th
Amber eyes were on me as the Vampire King made his way toward Darren. He looked as if he was in his thirties, but I knew this man was actually centuries old. He walked right past Darren and stopped behind my chair. I turned sideways in my seat to see him extend his hand to me.“My name is Finn, and—” He raised his brows up expectantly.“Allissa,” I answered, taking his hand politely. His thumb pressed against my fingers, as a smile spread over his lips.“Well, talk about coming full circle.” He grinned. I glanced at Darren, not understanding at all, but I could see that he was confused as well.“You’ve touched her long enough.” Darren pulled my hand away, giving Finn a warning look.“Of course, I mean no harm, but I find all of this very intriguing. I’m sure some of you do as well,” Finn said, looking up at the other representatives. “For those who know ... and I can see quite a few of you do.” His eyes landed on the fairy man before resting back on me.“Know what?”“Darren, have you
His tongue attacked me urgently as his hands roamed over my body. The electric sparks were everything. How could anyone reject their fated mate? Who would deny themselves of the wonderful sensations that only they could bring?! He brought out a side of me that I never knew was there. And the best part? The sex was ALWAYS amazing. I would never get enough of him, and it was an amazing feeling to know that he was my partner in this life.“Ally, I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe what my family did. I am so sorry—”“Dare, don’t.” I panted against his lips. If this man only knew what was going through my mind. I wasn’t thinking about the stupid past. I was thinking of all the ways I could play with his dick right now. “You are a great king and—”“I shouldn’t even be in this position.”I giggled. “You were always meant to be my mate, and because of that you were always meant to be the king.”“Everything that happened to you—” He frowned, shaking his head. “Your life would have been
DarrenI was over-the-moon excited. Allissa was pregnant! We were going to have a child. But then I realized what I had just promised her. She was carrying our pup and still wanted to go and fight. I felt all of my emotions struggling inside of me. I felt everything, but one of the biggest was fear.So much fear gripped me. If something happened to her and she ended up losing our pup, how would she handle it? She had already lost a pup not too long ago. Something like this would be devastating. I understood her reasonings, honestly, I really did. If the roles were reversed, I would want to be by her side, too. But we needed to talk about this.I reached out, pulling her to my chest. “Ally, you keep giving me so much. You are spoiling me, and I’m turning into a greedy child. I love you, and I can’t wait to meet our baby.” I kissed the top of her head, breathing in her scent. “We need to talk. Please, listen to what I have to say. This is a discussion, my love, not a fight.”“Okay.” I li
At some point, all of our clothes ended up off of our bodies. Darren had kissed every inch of my skin and was far from done. I shivered under his touch, my breath hitching as he kissed his way across my body, my heartbeat pounding in anticipation. His lips trailed fire along my collarbone, his warm breath fanning over my sensitive skin, sending tingles all over me. He paused for a moment to suck gently on the tender flesh, eliciting a moan from deep within me. “Darren,” I breathed, arching into his touch.He moved lower still, his mouth following the curve of my breastbone to my belly button. His stubble tickled my stomach as he kissed lower still, toward the mound between my legs. His lips brushed against it lightly, sending shockwaves of pleasure through me. My hips bucked involuntarily as he traced circles around it with his tongue, teasing me mercilessly. “Please,” I begged, unable to contain myself any longer. He chuckled darkly against my sensitive skin before finally closing hi
“I knew it!” Lyle snorted, wagging his finger at me. “I knew you were hiding something!” “How did you know? I don’t think even Darren knew.” Lyle and I were sitting out on the balcony drinking our coffee. Darren had to take care of official business early this morning and had been busy the last few hours. When I came out of my room, Lyle was there, waiting for me. I guess he had become my default babysitter. “Darren is the one intimate with you, but you and I have been spending a lot of time together. I’m picking up on those subtle changes of yours. I know what’s normal and what isn’t.” “Are you saying you know me better than Ren?” I listened as he chuckled. “Not at all. But I’m not head-over-heels swoony in love with you to believe every honeyed word from your lips. In other words, I’m not drinking what you’re serving.” He winked at me as he sipped on his coffee. “Dare must be so excited. Honestly, I’m surprised he’s okay with you still joining in the fight. I mean ... you remembe
I was sitting at the large table while Darren was shaking each representative’s hand. Everyone there had signed the agreement. They were now rushing back to mobilize for war. In just two days, we would all be meeting in the Stony Plains. That wasn’t a lot of time to mobilize and move a small army, so they had to act quickly.“This kingdom is yours. Why are you taking a back seat right now?” A woman with broad shoulders and muscular arms stepped next to my seat. Her dark skin gleamed under the soft lights of the room, her muscles defined and powerful. But what caught my attention were her eyes, a striking silver that seemed to almost glow in the dimness. It was like looking into pools of liquid metal.“I’m still learning about this kingdom. What does something being mine by blood mean? Does that immediately make me a more fit ruler? I don’t look at this as taking a back seat. I think it’s a joint effort. The goal is to take care of the kingdom and the people.”“You don’t seem like a stu
I had no clue who or what I was looking at. A small, delicate person? Or something more like a fairy? The figure was small, no taller than a child, but it radiated an otherworldly power that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Delicate, translucent wings fluttered behind her, her skin as white as ivory. She wore a white, shimmering gown that flowed around her. Her face was impossibly beautiful, with high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes that seemed to glow with an inner fire. But it was her expression that truly captivated me. A fierce determination and cold detachment that sent a shiver down my spine.The way she was staring at me almost looked aggressive, which made me defensive.“Who are you? What do you want with me?” I demanded, injecting as much authority into my voice as I could muster.“I haven’t decided yet.” Her voice was cold as her eyes fixated on mine.“You haven’t decided who you are, or you haven’t decided what you want with me? I asked you two questions
“Is this really necessary?” I pouted as I felt the heavy robe draped over my shoulders. It was not only heavy, but I felt like I was in a sauna.“It’s traditional. All of the crowned royals wore this robe.” Lyle’s blue eyes sparkled in amusement as I grumbled. “The weight represents the burden of leadership. Besides, you look rather fetching in it. Like a true queen.”“A sweaty, irritable queen,” I muttered, but then a realization came over me. “It’s never been washed … has it?”Lyle boomed out a loud laugh. “No, it’s not washed. It’s only worn for a few hours for the ceremony, and—”“I’m caked in a stranger’s sweat.”“Darren wore it last.” Lyle smirked at me.“It doesn’t have his scent.” I sighed, staring at the mirror. There was still no message from Darren. He knew I would be worried, and I knew he would reach out to me as soon as he could. I knew he was alive, but that was the extent of it. How bad were things for them right now? “It feels weird to be doing this without him here.”
My first night away from Darren was torture. I tossed and turned,missing his warmth next to me. I was so dependent on him. Every day away from him was going to be hard. I knew that, but I guess I wasn’t fully prepared for the loneliness. I was missing a piece of me, and I couldn’t be whole without him.Lyle stayed with me until the early morning hours, trying to keep my mind off Darren. He put on movies and told me stories. But as soon as he left, Darren was all I could think about. How was the battle? Was he resting? Did he get hurt? So many questions, and there was no way to get answers. I had to wait for him to contact me.I looked at myself in the mirror as I finished applying my lip gloss. Today, I was going to be crowned queen. I didn’t look like a queen … I didn’t feel like a queen. I was just me. I wonder if all leaders felt like this?“This is as good as I get,” I said to myself with a shrug, looking at my reflection. I opened the door to my bedroom and there was Lyle, leaning
I was surprised as we walked through the tower. The place was beautiful. It was well decorated and had every luxury. I mean … lock me up with Darren in here and I could stay forever. The punishment of being here was two things: shame and freedom. Other than that, Winifred could easily live a comfortable life here. And maybe that was an option. But if she had been brainwashed, then there was a chance to reunite their family.As we entered the grand room, my eyes landed on a group of maids meticulously cleaning every nook and cranny. The sunlight peeking through the windows was dimmed by the richly colored tapestries that adorned them, casting an eerie glow over the space. The only source of light came from the flickering flames of the fireplace, where Milo sat in a lush red armchair, his gaze fixated on the dancing embers.“Dad, have you eaten anything?” Lyle asked as he approached him. Milo didn’t respond and simply kept staring at the orange glow.I grabbed a chair and pulled it up be
“It’s my father. He’s depressed, and I don’t know what to do. He isn’t eating. Issy. He is taking this thing with mom so hard. I’ve never seen him like this.” I could see the pain in Lyle’s eyes. He also looked tired. I was sure it had been a heavy burden on him, running the kingdom in a time of war.“I’m here to help. I’m not going anywhere. As you can see, the little pup is growing quickly. I think I’m a bit farther along. This happened before I went into heat, even though Darren used precaution. Unless, because we are both powerful lycans, things have sped up?”“All lycan pregnancies are different, but royal pregnancies have always been unpredictable. And you are the true royal … I’m guessing that has a lot to do with this.” I listened as he sighed. “How is Darren?”“Getting ready to head into Catata as we speak.” I pursed my lips together. “I want to be by his side.”“I do, too,” Lyle admitted. “I’m glad you’re here. I can use your help. There is also one more thing … and I hate t
The next few days were busy. They created a new strategy and decided they would head to Catata after the naga arrived. From there, they would continue to push into vampire territory, going in aggressive and hard. They intended to launch a full assault with the sorcerers and fairies, then come in with the muscles. They had created new enchantments for the soldiers and protection spells against the demons, pulling up the old archives of what they used before and adding to them. The element of surprise was now gone, and they were better prepared. Hopefully, this meant no more heavy losses for our alliance.My nights with Darren had been pure fire. His lips touched every inch of my body. He whispered how much he loved me over my skin, as if he were trying to engrave the words on my body. Our lovemaking had always been passionate, but these past nights … there was an urgency, a desperation that left me breathless.“Thinking of me?” Darren whispered as his arms pulled me to his chest.“I was
“I—”“I asked you to stay with me,” he growled against my hair. I could feel the small tremble in his fingers, which showed me how upset he was. “Dammit Ally, do you know how worried I was?!”“I didn’t exactly go gallivanting off into mortal peril. Unlike some people I could mention. Now you know how it feels to wake up and the other isn’t there.” I lifted my chin up at him and poked him in the chest. I felt the gentle vibrations of his tired laugh as he let out a sigh.“You win.” He yawned and I grabbed his hand, dragging him back to bed.“You should be resting.” I pushed him down and he pulled me on top of him. He rested his hands on my hips and looked at me pointedly.“Did you have to pee? I would have walked you to the—”“No, I didn’t, but if I did, I wouldn’t have woken you up for such a silly thing.” His eyes looked at me expectantly and I knew he wasn’t going to go to sleep without an answer.“I smelled my old pack, and I went out in search of it. Bastian is here. I guess he bro
We all decided to walk back to camp, in case there were others that needed our help. Darren had his arm wrapped tightly against my waist. He was exhausted, since he hadn’t slept and had gone straight into another battle.“Are you okay?” I asked, his green eyes flipping to mine with a smile.“I’m fine. Nothing a little sleep won’t cure.”“We’re going to be staying at the camp for a few days to strategize. We’re also waiting for the naga to join us.”“Why haven’t they arrived yet?” Darren growled, his annoyance evident.Dayanara’s lips quirked into a smirk. “Ah, yes. Their general is currently...indisposed. Molting, if you can believe it. They’ll join us when he’s finished shedding his skin.”I wrinkled my nose at the mental image. “Charming.”“Nature isn’t always pretty, darling,” Dayanara quipped with a wink.Finn glanced back to look at me. “How is Ivan holding up?”“I think he’s pretty shaken up over Anton. He’s trying to be strong, though,” I answered, Dayanara nodding in agreement.
Dayanara’s tongue clicked as we soared through the sky. “Witch, hmph. I am far beyond a simple witch.”“Umm, where are you taking me?” I asked, sensing she didn’t mean me any harm.She turned her head, a smile on her lips. “You don’t strike me as the type to wait for her mate to return. How about we go find him?”I could have kissed this woman. My smile widened, and I felt tears of gratitude prick my eyes. “Thank you!”“I couldn’t stand seeing your worried face any longer. I heard you’re pregnant. Don’t worry, I will keep you safe.”“It isn’t like I can’t fight now. Darren left without me … I would have gone, too,” I grumbled. “Last night, I decided it would be best for me to return to the Lycan Kingdom, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have fought today.”“It’s difficult.” Dayanara sighed, turning her head slightly. “It’s a tough choice to step back instead of fighting. You’re making the right choice for your family. I’m sure your mate just wanted you safe … just like you want him sa